Download Lesson 2 Europeans in America

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Name
Date
CHAPTER 5, LESSON 2
Summary: Europeans in America
The Age of Exploration
Marco Polo was an Italian merchant who began a journey
to Asia in 1271. His book about his explorations made
Europeans eager to go to Asia. Merchants knew that they
could make large profits selling Asian goods such as spices
and silks. The routes were slow and dangerous. European
rulers wanted to find safer, faster trade routes to Asia so
that their countries could become rich and powerful. In
Portugal, sailors studied navigation and made new, faster
ships. In 1498, Vasco da Gama sailed around the tip of
Africa and east to India. His new route helped Portugal
grow rich from trade with Asia.
Arriving in the Americas
An Italian, Christopher Columbus, wanted to sail west
from Europe to Asia. Queen Isabella of Spain paid for
his expedition because she wanted to make Spain more
powerful. She also wanted to spread Christianity. In 1492,
Columbus sailed west and landed on an island in the
Caribbean Sea. He thought he had reached Asia. He
named the people he met Indians.
Columbus returned to the Americas three times.
He claimed land for Spain. England, Portugal, and France
also sent explorers to the Americas. Cabot claimed the
coast of present-day Canada for England. Cabral claimed
present-day Brazil for Portugal. Cartier claimed land on
the St. Lawrence River for France. The Dutch, and later
the English, sent Henry Hudson to find a sea route across
North America.
These explorations changed both Europe and the
Americas. Europeans took home new plants, such as corn,
tomatoes, potatoes, and beans. They also brought new
goods to the Americas, including wheat, sugar, horses, and
pigs. This movement of goods is called the Columbian
Exchange. Some new goods helped American Indians,
such as horses and new foods. However, Europeans also
brought diseases that killed many American Indians.
Find and underline each
vocabulary word.
merchant noun, a person
who buys and sells
goods to earn money
navigation noun, the
science of planning and
guiding the route of a
ship at sea
expedition noun, a
journey with an
important goal
Columbian Exchange
noun, the movement of
goods between Europe
and the Americas
REVIEW What problem
led to European
exploration? Underline
the sentence that tells
the answer.
REVIEW What was
a benefit of the
Columbian Exchange
for Europeans? Circle
the sentence that tells
what crops Europeans
received as part of the
Columbian Exchange.
Unit Resources
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Use with North America Regions and People, pp. 118–121